Vegetation/Tree Thinning Fires Aimed at Enhancing Forest Health and Public Safety
This work may continue through the spring as weather conditions allow. Prescribed fires help reduce overgrown vegetation and help protect local communities, infrastructure and natural resources from wildfires.
Prescribed fires planned for the Pike National Forest include the following:
Pikes Peak Ranger District
* Rainbow Gulch (750 acres) — near Rampart Reservoir and Forest Service Road 300 (El Paso County)
* Mothball Springs (1,000 acres) — about five miles east of Woodland Park (El Paso County)
* Crystal Reservoir (250 acres) — on Pikes Peak, about three miles west of Green Mountain Falls (Teller and El Paso counties)
South Park Ranger District
* Road Gulch (562 acres) — near Praise Mountain and County Road 98 (Park County)
South Platte Ranger District
* Green Mountain (654 acres) — near Buffalo Creek Recreation Area and Forest Service Road 550 (Jefferson County)
Those areas may close to the public for several days for public safety. Watch for warning signs along roads near all prescribed fire areas before and during burns.
Residents may experience smoke during the prescribed burns. For more information on how fire smoke may affect your health, see the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment or go to https://fire.airnow.gov/ to find more detailed information about air quality. When driving, slow down and turn on your headlights when you encounter smoke on the road.
We will evaluate weather conditions in the hours before a fire begins. If conditions warrant, scheduled prescribed fire activities may be canceled.
Follow PSICC on X and Facebook for up-to-date information on active prescribed fire projects. Stay informed about the scheduled prescribed fires through InciWeb, the interagency incident information system. We will notify county emergency management officials when burning begins.
For more information about the prescribed fire projects, contact USFS Public Information Officer Dawn Sanchez at 719-338-4995.
About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has, for more than 100 years, brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology — and rooted in communities — the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners and maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the United States, of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.
